The ultimate utility gun (dream concepts)?

Ardent

Ardent

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
818   0   2
Location
Northern BC, Coastal BC, or Africa. Depends on the
I'm talking that gun that kicks around behind the seats of your truck, hikes with you in the rain, stops a bear if asked to, takes a grouse the same… Or in my case launch a flare or banger, etc as well. What is it, and what does it have for features?

Mine would be a stainless drilling. Short barrels, thin wall for weight, but hammer forged tough tubes, 16" say, 12 gauge x 12 gauge side by side with a .22 Magnum barrel in the middle, under the shotgun barrels. Tang safety, the gun breaks and folds completely in half until the barrels can latch to the butt stock and it can be stowed that way. Rifle sights, options for shotgun bores of one rifled, one not, paradox rifled for both, or smoothbore. Mine would be smoothbore, fixed IC to Mod chokes. Weight 6lbs, stock material likely synthetic, but wood as an option.

This is the best mental concept I can yet come up with for the perfect woods gun. It is so far beyond what I'm willing to consider trying to make as just about every step from the ideal material, to the drilling lockwork, to the folding design make this a pure dream gun.

If you could build the perfect woods utility gun, a companion for bush work and time in less than ideal conditions, what would it be? Those who find existing guns perfect can opt out of the thread, as that's not interesting enough. :)
 
Well, I don't have much exposure to higher quality guns, but as you mentioned a break-action gun is probably pretty high on the list of utility guns. Either a combination gun, or a few caliber adapters, or some barrels that could be switched out.

The H&R Handi rifle is a fair starting point. If they had tool-less breakdown capabilities and a bit more availability of barrels they could be perfect. In a perfect world it would be easy to get a variety of barrels, perhaps 12 gauge, .308 Win, and .22lr.
 
My Fabarm 14" is almost perfect. I say almost because it now comes in a 11".

Aluminum receiver, park'd barrel, chrome lined = very corrosion resistant and light weight. My fabarm has ousted ever shotgun I've own since 2006.

11-DSC00291.JPG

Fabarm Martial pro Forces 14" 32.625" oal @ 6lb 6.2oz
 
Actually I've been thinking about this.

I'd like something that is AR pattern with delayed roller blowback and a completely free floated barrel in .308.

Cold hammer forged chrome lined barrel. Undecided on twist. Probably a 16" barrel and setup for 180 grainers.
 
Given our current laws, I think the best overall utility gun (It's only short coming would be "Must Stop" large bear charges, and even then would be better then nothing) would be a Ranch Hand style gun in 45LC that can also chamber and feed .410 shot shells.
Gives you 5+1 capacity when loaded with .45LC and the ability to take small game with the .410
Hot loaded .45 out of the longer barrel would be sufficient for deer sized game at reasonable distance and would most likely pack enough punch for black bears but would be a bit on the small side for Browns or Grizzlys.
 
I would agree with Ardent for most of it but would go to a larger cal for the rifle barrel, say 3006 or maybe bigger-375 and use inserts for the smaller cals
 
Spent some time in Europe, drillings are popular there. However U sure as shooten dont want to throw it in the back of yur pickemup. Drillings cost big bucks or at least they did back in the day.
 
I'm leaning toward Ardent's opinion, but I'd opt for a cape rifle. I had a Cape in 12 ga X 9 x 57R(360 BP Express IIRC)but it required more attention than I could give it at the time; pity too, cool gun.
I'd got with something a tad brisker, yet more classic on the rifle side; 22 hornet perhaps , easy enough to get a Lee Loader or Lyman 310 in this caliber so you can basically go forever with a small supply of components.
'0' research on it, but I'd bet there is a powder that would work to reload both rounds...Herco perhaps?
 
Combination gun, similar to Tikka M07.

Synthetic stocks, the Ruger Alaskan grippy type (Hogue overmold???).

22" bbls, with ejectors, good open sights and D&T for scope or integrated scope grooves.

9.3 x 62 over 12 guage, chokes for the shotgun.

Butt stock storage.

Break action means even with 22" bbl's, it would be about as short as a 18" bbl bolt gun.

Been throwing this one around in my head for years.....
 
Last edited:
I guess if we are dreaming I'd dream up a compact laser blaster pistol and a light sabre.
Good for everything except maybe flying birds and you can cut wood and start a fire with it in an emergency.
Light weight,compact and nuclear powered(Thorium) so you never have to charge or reload the unit...... Sweet!

I wonder if the laser cauterization might degrade the amount of bleed out? I guess like all calibers it would still come down to good beam placement.


:)
 
Kicks around in the truck, could take a bear or grouse, etc. ... sounds like my 870 Wingmaster - although that is probably not what everyone wants to hear.
 
saskcop said:
Kicks around in the truck, could take a bear or grouse, etc. ... sounds like my 870 Wingmaster - although that is probably not what everyone wants to hear.
Click to expand...

Shhh, not so loud. You might wake up the dreamers! :)
A short, inexpensive pump 12 gauge is more of a real world choice.
We are talking dream guns here.
 
Nothing will stop a charging bear with one shot. From under 100 yards you're toast anyway. However, a 12 gauge pump with rifle sights and a peep rear and slugs is very close to perfection. The factory sights aren't great though.
 
If you would give up on the stainless idea, your concept is probably achievable. You could probably find a used 12-bore/.22 drilling and have the .22 rechambered to .22 WMR. I'm not a fan of short barrels though, be it shotgun or rifle. Once you hit 43 and your eyesight starts going downhill, you might find short barreled-open-sighted arms will lose a lot of their appeal.

I don't really have an ideal concept gun, but I sure miss the old Westley Richards Exploras and other paradox guns with rifled chokes. I know they're being made again, but the price is astronomical.
 
Ardent said:
.......

Mine would be a stainless drilling.
...........
Click to expand...

Heretic! Burn the witch!!!!

OK, now that is over is it too late to drool and squeeze my thighs together at the thought of a stainless drilling? My caliber choices would be less shotgun and more rifle but still I'm down with the dream. A plain old 20ga SxS with paradox rifling would be the cheap road for these needs as well.
 
For me a truck gun has to be cheap enough so that if it were to rust out , be stolen or have a flare stick in a barrel, I would not find the $ loss to be excessive.

For me a 12 gauge shotgun that takes down to a small size with adapters works. 12 gauge birdshot, buckshot and Brenneke slugs, .22LR, .357 magnum and both rimfire and centrefire 15mm flares/bear bangers covers a lot of bases for me.

I have my Dominion Arms Outlaw setup for this. It is a cheap gun and if it gets totaled I don't really mind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom